WSSU’s Philip Stitt Named CIAA Coach Of The Year

Hampton, VA - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced the 2004-05 All-CIAA basketball teams, and named the coaches of the year on Wednesday afternoon in Hampton, VA and three Rams have been celebrated among the best in the conference. Alleggrie Guinn and Audly Wehner were both named to the All-CIAA men’s basketball team, and WSSU Head Coach Philip Stitt was honored as the CIAA’s men’s basketball Coach of the Year.

WSSU head coach Philip Stitt continues to have a storybook year as the fourth-year head coach has been named the CIAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Stitt, who has posted a career record of 73-39 (.651), through games of February 22nd, 2005, has led the Rams to a 20-6 record, a CIAA Western Division regular-season title, and the longest winning streak in five seasons.

Stitt is currently in his seventh season with the Ram basketball program since coming to WSSU prior to the 1998-99 season to serve as an assistant coach to then-Head Coach Rick Duckett. During his tenure as an assistant coach with the Rams, Stitt was a part of two CIAA Championships, and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II national playoffs, with the Rams poised to make another trip to the playoffs this season with Stitt as head coach. Stitt led the Rams to a 15-14 record during the 2002-03 season, his first year as WSSU’s head coach since having the interim tag removed. He then guided the Rams to a 16-12 record in 2003-04 in his second season as WSSU’s Head Coach, and has had even greater success this season as he has led WSSU to a 20-6 record thus far (through games of February 22nd). Stitt has coached five All-CIAA performers in his three and a half seasons at WSSU and was rewarded with a three-year contract extension on February 14th, 2005 that will take him through the 2007-08 season.

Commenting on the honor, Stitt said the following:

“This is a great honor, to be named Coach of the Year, as it is selected by my peers, and that makes me feel great. But really, this is a testament to my coaching staff and team. David Brown and Corey Thompson have done a tremendous job, and to me, winning Coach of the Year really means that I have the team of the year, from the players to the Athletic Administration, to the Assistant Coaches, right on down to the training staff and any of the numerous people who help us out everyday. I am very honored to receive this award but I am more proud of these kids, with Alleggrie and Audly getting the honors that they truly deserve, and us playing the way that we are. The accolades are great, but we have so much more ahead of us. We have to close out the regular season and get ready for our biggest challenge, the upcoming CIAA Tournament, and then, hopefully on to the NCAA playoffs. We cannot rest on our laurels and our honors, because we continue to have work to do.”

Guinn, a junior guard from Charlotte, NC helped to lead the Rams to a 20-6 overall record, a 13-2 CIAA record, an 8-2 Western Division record, and WSSU’s first CIAA Western Division regular-season title since the 1999-2000 season (through games of February 22nd, 2005). He was named the CIAA’s Player of the Week two times during the 2004-05 season, and turned in impressive season statistics as he averaged 16.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.76 assists, 1.12 blocks and 2.20 steals per game.

He was second on the Ram roster in scoring and led the Rams in scoring in wins over then-#1 Virginia Union University and current-#1 Bowie State University. Guinn ranks 7th in the CIAA in scoring, 4th in the CIAA in free-throw percentage, 15th in the CIAA in assists, 3rd in the CIAA in steals, 13th in the CIAA in three-point shooting percentage, 4th in the CIAA in 3-point field goals made, 15th in the CIAA in minutes player per game, and 7th in the CIAA in blocked shots, despite being only 6’3”.

Guinn turned in a stellar season thus far as he not only led the Rams, a team that was picked to finish fifth in the CIAA Western Division, to a 20-6 record and a Western Division crown, but he also broke the 1,000-point mark as only a junior as he now has 1,056 career points (through games of February 22nd, 2005).

Wehner, a sophomore forward from Fayetteville, NC, and 2003-04 CIAA Rookie of the Year, has been named to the All-CIAA team for the second straight season. Despite missing five games with a knee injury, he once again proved that he is one of the best big men in the CIAA, if not the nation.

Wehner was CIAA Player of the Week once during 2004-05 and led the Rams in scoring with 16.4 points per game. In addition to scoring 16.4 ppg, he pulled down 5.3 rebounds, dished out 1.1 assists, collected .40 blocks, and 1.25 steals per game as he helped to lead the Rams to a Western Division regular-season title.

He ranks 5th in the CIAA in scoring, 11th in the CIA in free-throw shooting percentage, 1st in the CIAA in field goal percentage at 54%, 19th in the CIAA in steals per game and has played the entire season on a torn MCL that forced him to miss five of the Rams’ 26 games.

Guinn, Wehner, and Stitt will look to lead Winston-Salem State into the 60th annual CIAA men’s basketball that will begin on March 2nd, 2005 at the RBC Center in Raleigh before gearing up the NCAA Division II national playoffs a week later.